Designing a sonicating static mixer for the production of <scp>Thermoplastic Vulcanisate</scp> by devulcanization of waste rubber

Abstract The continuous ultrasonic process was utilized to devulcanize waste rubber/PE (Polyethylene) blends at varying waste rubber concentrations (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%). The ultrasonic horn was designed as a static mixer, ensuring the distribution of ultrasonic waves in both parallel and cross‐flow directions. This helped devulcanize the blend uniformly. Both the ultrasonically treated blends and their untreated counterparts were tested for comparative analysis. Results demonstrated that at lower waste rubber concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 20% the ultrasonic treatment effectively helped in dispersing the waste rubber within the matrix. However, with higher concentrations of waste rubber 30% and 40%, the ultrasonically treated samples exhibited signs of uncuring, as evident in their thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties.